Rent A MiG-29 For The Day, Only $18,000 (Plus A Trip To Russia)

In a move that would make Tom Clancy stir in his grave, you can now experience the stratosphere in a rented Russian fighter jet.

Rent-a-fighter, the MiG-29

While you need to be a member of the Russian Air Force in order to fly a Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear strategic bomber within a mile of the U.S. aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan as they did earlier this week near the Korean Peninsula, for a paltry $18,000 you can fly a MiG-29 fighter jet.

The Zurich, Switzerland based MiGFlug & Adventure GmbH is presently offering the “MiG-29 Edge of Space” package that allows passengers to reach the stratosphere in no time flat while experiencing nearly nine Gs and near weightlessness once there.

The MiG-29, depending on weather and temperature reaches a minimum of 17,000 but your pilot will happily strive for 20-22,000 meters given optimal conditions. You will essentially be one of the highest people in the sky outside of those that man the International Space Station.

The curvature is on display once you reach altitude and the sky is very dark with stars punctuating the experience.

In addition to the stratosphere the MiG-29 will give you…

Your pilot is there to impress and will also show off with the following:

Breaking the Sound Barrier and fly at supersonic speed

Climb to the max altitude at nearly Mach 2

Rolls

Immelmans

Loops

Split-S

Accelerated vertical climbing

Vertical dive

Curves

Tail-Slide

High speed low level flying over the runway – your spectators will be very impressed!

History of the MiG-29

The first Mikoyan MiG-29 flight occurred in 1977 with the introduction to the Soviet Air Force coming a long six years later when the first went into service in 1983. The air superiority fighter was built with the intention of rivaling the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.

While the MiG-29 was designed for dogfighting and providing high-cap cover for longer ranged planes, the planed has been modified over the years to perform outside its designed mission. Versions of the MiG-29 have been navalized for carrier work and the plane has also carved out a niche as a ground attack aircraft despite its limited armaments.